“These NEPA (Electricity Distribution Company) people are too wicked, o, imagine, going on a week now,” Seyi said as he fanned himself with an old event pamphlet. "This wickedness is on another level, and the heat too; even my sweat is sweating.”
Even though it was funny, I couldn't laugh; I was just there lying on the floor and staring at the ceiling fan, as if waiting for it to make its usual sound and roll.
“Boredom can kill, and the NEPA are the ones causing this. Phones have been off since, and even the laptop is off. If anything should happen to me, just know they caused it." I said.
"You better sleep; you've been repeating the same thing since you woke up, and it's night already. Can't you think of something else?” Kemi said.
And that was how it all started. We began daring each other to do stuff.... trust me, boredom caused it.
Kemi sat up with that wicked, mischievous grin of hers.
“I will go first, and I am daring, Seyi. Seyi, go to Mama Kunle's shop and shout, "Stingy woman" three times, and then run back.”
“Are you sure you are okay?” Seyi responded. “That woman's husband is a soldier, so because she is usually on her generator and refuses anyone from coming to charge, I should go there and get my destiny relocated."
And for the first time that day, we laughed. It was a dare, and since we had nothing to do, we watched Seyi as he went out to do his dare.
Then, it came to be my turn.
“I dare you to go and knock on the landlord's door loudly and run away; let's see what he will say this time.” Kemi said.
If not for the way they kept on pushing and mocking me, I wouldn't have gone for it, and with Kemi telling me to not chicken out and "be a man."
So, I stood up and tiptoed to the landlord's door, knocked until I heard footsteps, and ran back as if... I was being chased.
“And who is that idiot disturbing my peace? Don't you have a door in your house? Did your father not build a house"
We froze as his door creak open; he stepped out with his torchlight, scanning every angle like a hunter.
My heart was beating fast. The funny part is, we all were outside. I had wanted to run inside, but then I heard them laughing behind me and went to join them.
“Jesus, we are dead if this man finds us”
We hid behind the water tank, trying to dodge the light he was throwing at every angle. But then something strange happened. The torchlight caught a figure, a human figure standing very close to the gate.
“Who’s that? Who's there?” Landlord asked.
But silence followed.
The figure...tall, thin, and motionless...just stood still.
“Tell me you can see that fearful figure too,” Kemi whispered as she gripped my arm.
I couldn't even respond.
For some seconds, everywhere went silent, we can only hear the sound of frogs on the other side of the fence. Then, the figure moved slowly, and it started getting smaller/shorter.
“Blood of Jesus!” I started muttering; Seyi had bent down to grab his slippers as if they were a weapon.
Even our landlord, who used to act all courageous, stepped back. “If you’re a human being, you better talk before I shoot, and if you're a spirit, it's better you turn back." He said, his voice shaking.
The figure moved, and as we were about to run for our dear lives, we saw it well...it was a goat. The landlord's goat.
But how? Ordinary goat had the nerve to scare us like this. How did it look so human before? Well, we never found an answer to that.
Kemi, who couldn't keep her mouth shut, sold us out as she said, "So is it even a goat acting like an evil spirit?"
We couldn't stop ourselves from laughing; it seems we've forgotten the situation we were in. By the time we realized, the landlord's torchlight had already caught us behind the tank.
“So you are the ones disturbing me, ehn?" He roared.
Immediately, we sobered up. “Sorry, sir,” we chorused.
He hissed, marched near us, and said, “And you people owe me rent. Oh, I know what to do. See them, useless set of people.”
We heard his door slam shut, and we all burst out laughing again. "See, as this evil goat sold us out." Seyi said.
“Believe me, our landlord’s goat is not an ordinary one." I said as I wiped tears from my eyes.
Kemi looked at us one after the other as if she was scanning us and said, “Henceforth, nothing whatsoever will push me to play dare games."
"See how boredom almost sent us to an early grave." I responded.
We laughed hard as we made our way in. We had made a decision to be well-behaved. So help us, God. Even we know that if not for boredom, we wouldn't have had such a frightening, memorable and strange experience.
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